207 - The Demon Fox Wife is a Foodie

Xuan Yuan Mu furrowed her brows, remaining silent. At that moment, the noises from the arena abruptly ceased. Dust began to settle, and through the hazy vision, a figure gradually emerged. Everyone's attention was riveted on the unfolding scene. The figure stood poised in the center of the arena, slender in form, unmistakably Ye Yanran. In her hand was a sword, the tip pressing against Xuan Yuan Zheng's chest as he lay supine on the ground, having lost most of his fighting strength. Seeing this situation, Chen Er beamed with delight. "I knew Yanran would definitely win!" Ye Yanran was also panting, bearing some minor wounds, but nothing too serious. Xuan Yuan Mu let out a deep breath, her tense composure finally relaxing. As long as she was unharmed. Under the gaze of all present, the referee elder focused, silently counting to three in his mind. Upon reaching the third count, he would declare the winner and loser. At that moment, Xuan Yuan Zheng raised a hand. "I..." He moved his lips, as if to concede. Ye Yanran, upon seeing this, allowed herself a fractional relaxation. Suddenly, Xuan Yuan Zheng flipped his hand, and a concealed weapon darted out from his sleeve. The distance was too close for Ye Yanran to react in time; the projectile pierced her throat. In an instant, a column of blood sprayed far and wide. "!" The referee elder's complexion changed dramatically. Below the arena, Chen Er's pupils contracted. Xuan Yuan Zheng, seizing his moment, used his palm to displace the sword from Ye Yanran's hand. In the next instant, with a grim expression, he lifted a crossbow and shot multiple arrows into Ye Yanran at close range. The sounds of impact were relentless, each arrow finding its target in her chest. "Stop!" The elder's voice boomed like thunder, exploding over the arena. Simultaneously, Xuan Yuan Zheng was forcibly knocked away by a blast of palm wind, causing the remaining crossbow arrows to veer into the air. Everyone stood gaping, Xuan Yuan Mu visibly aghast. Chen Er's mind felt like it was ringing, as if a cord had suddenly snapped. The referee elder waved his hand to dismantle the protective formation around the arena, preparing to check Ye Yanran’s injuries. Yet a dark shadow swiftly passed before him, and in the blink of an eye, Chen Er appeared onstage, catching Ye Yanran who was falling backward. "Yanran!" Chen Er cried out in shock. Her hands were soaked, Ye Yanran had a gaping wound at her throat, blood gushing from it, with more than a dozen crossbow arrows protruding from her chest, the light in her eyes rapidly dimming. On the floating island, Su Zijun sprang to her feet. Her overwhelming aura surged like a tidal wave across the observatory. Chapter 223 The scene was suddenly deathly silent. The promising young cultivators felt as insignificant as ants under the anger of a formidable cultivator. A heavy aura blanketed the area, and Xuan Yuan Zheng, having just taken a blow, struggled to rise before collapsing again under an invisible hammer blow. Su Zijun was about to capture Xuan Yuan Zheng, but Ying Xiao's timely interception stopped her. "Esteemed Immortal, the Immortal Alliance oversees the tournament’s order. You must not intervene!" The palm wind dissipated before reaching the observatory, intercepted by a golden light, vanishing into nothingness. "My palace disciple was ambushed in front of everyone at your tournament, and you dare stop me?!" Su Zijun sneered coldly, "Try me if you dare!" With that, she dashed toward the observatory. Ying Xiao couldn’t block her in time and had no choice but to follow. On stage, Xuan Yuan Mu reacted slower than Chen Er by an instant, yet swiftly jumped onto the platform behind her. On the platform, Chen Er cradled Ye Yanran, pressing on her wounds, continuously infusing energy to stop the blood flow. Xuan Yuan Mu hurried forward, retrieved several pills, pried open Ye Yanran’s mouth, and fed them to her. Seeing Chen Er burying her head in silence, performing life-saving actions while her hands trembled uncontrollably. Xuan Yuan Mu's heart twisted painfully, she gritted her teeth and said, "Let me take care of her." She reached out to take Ye Yanran away. The referee elder knew spells to save people, and even if not, there were many powerful cultivators on the nearby floating islands who could ensure Ye Yanran's life. However, when Xuan Yuan Mu touched Ye Yanran's arm, Chen Er abruptly slapped her away. Knowing that Chen Er was acting out of concern, Xuan Yuan Mu had to remind her sternly, "Chen Er, calm down!" Chen Er’s eyes flared with anger, "How can I calm down?!" Xuan Yuan Mu urged, "You don’t know medicine, you need to let the elder save her!" "The elder?" Chen Er scoffed harshly, "If they were useful, Yanran wouldn’t be like this!" When Xuan Yuan Zheng attacked, none of the elders stopped him in time. Not a single one of the four elders could guarantee the safety of the participating disciples; their so-called security was utterly deficient! Chen Er was enraged, reasoning with her wouldn’t work. Xuan Yuan Mu quickly said, "We can discuss right and wrong later, saving her is the priority now!" But Chen Er refused to let go, shouting out loud in their scuffle, "Xuan Yuan Mu, don’t forget, you are also a Xuan Yuan!" Xuan Yuan Mu's hands froze in the air, her urgent expression turning into bewilderment, followed by an overwhelming sense of disappointment. Chen Er was also taken aback, her mind blank, all reactions driven by defensive instincts inflamed by rage. The hurt in Xuan Yuan Mu’s eyes brought her to her senses. Soon after, Xuan Yuan Mu lowered her gaze and tried to speak with control in her voice, "You don’t trust them, or me. Will you be satisfied if Yanran misses the chance to be saved?" Chen Er remained silent, but her grip relaxed, allowing Xuan Yuan Mu to finally take Ye Yanran from her arms. Four referee elders were already on the platform, and one of them, a medical practitioner of high cultivation, immediately used a spell to seal Ye Yanran's wounds, then set up an array to sustain her life force. Everyone's attention was enthralled by the chaos on the platform; no one noticed Xuan Yuan Zheng stealthily rising in the background. Realizing things were getting out of hand, he scrambled to make his escape. As he crept to the edge of the observatory, Yan Zhao noticed him. Yan Zhao frowned, about to call out, when a water arrow soared through the air, piercing Xuan Yuan Zheng from behind. He fell with a thud. The assailant was none other than Chen Er. At the abrupt occurrence, the referee elders turned to see Chen Er striding toward Xuan Yuan Zheng. Her eyes were veined with blood, her expression maniacal, seemingly out of control and unwilling to stop. "Stop!" A voice boomed like a rolling thunder. Chen Er did not heed the command, her steps growing faster, water droplets swirling around her, the sky darkening ominously. Xuan Yuan Zheng felt the impending storm of murderous intent, and uncontrollably shivered, crawling forward in desperation. Sensing danger, he was still attempting to flee. Chen Er accelerated, her gaze filled with lethal intent. The raindrops surrounding her morphed into countless water needles. The world faded to nothingness, her mind dominated by a single blood trail on the ground. Someone behind her seemed to threaten her to halt, but she was indifferent. Suddenly, a violent gale arose. A dense flurry of water needles shot toward Xuan Yuan Zheng. This was the full might of the spell that Chen Er had previously failed to complete. Xuan Yuan Zheng remained in the position reaching forward, his entire body exploding into a mist of blood, which then merged with the water as the needles punctured him, blood pooling into a crimson stain on the ground beneath him. Xuan Yuan Kai finally arrived, but could not save Xuan Yuan Zheng. Enraged, he bellowed, "How dare you!" He struck toward Chen Er’s head. Yet before his palm could land, a drift of snow silently brushed past, instantly devouring the palm wind, rendering it futile. Yuan Hai Zhenren manifested beside Chen Er, flicking a duster in hand, casting a sidelong glance at Xuan Yuan Kai. "Who dares threaten my disciple?" Like a bucket of icy water, Xuan Yuan Kai's intense emotions were temporarily restrained. Noteworthy was the killing intent glittering within Yuan Hai Zhenren’s eyes. If pressed further, Yuan Hai Zhenren would stand his ground to the end. He was, after all, the greatest spell master alive, the only one who could duel Yan Yuan Qing for over ten thousand moves three centuries past. Offending Yuan Hai Zhenren would bring doom to the Xuan Yuan clan, no amount of anger worth it for the life of a collateral descendant. Xuan Yuan Kai constrained his rage, seething inwardly but unable to protest. Meanwhile, Su Zijun, one step ahead of Ying Xiao, reached the observatory. However, Chen Er had already killed Xuan Yuan Zheng. Su Zijun cast a cold glance at the mutilated corpse, her eyes openly expressing disgust and anger. She swiftly approached Ye Yanran. The healer from the Immortal Alliance was desperately attempting to save Ye Yanran, with her throat and chest wounds being sutured with spellcraft. Even so, Ye Yanran's injuries were grievously severe. Su Zijun's heart ached, yet she maintained her composure and refrained from interrupting the healer’s work, instead speaking in a cold tone, "How is she?" The healer, sweating profusely and fearful of facing repercussions should Ye Yanran perish, hurriedly replied, "Her life is no longer in danger. Please rest assured, Immortal." Upon hearing this, Su Zijun’s expression eased slightly, though she was far from mollified. She spoke without turning as the hurried footsteps approached her from behind, "If you cannot provide me an explanation for how my disciple from Wanbao Palace was so gravely harmed within your jurisdiction, my palace will withdraw from the Immortal Alliance as of today!" Ying Xiao was on edge; the former leader of the Immortal Alliance had perished in the Xuanhuang Secret Realm, and now, such chaos had broken out shortly after his own rise to leadership. From the moment he was selected for this role by lot, he knew it was a thorny issue, one that would bring trouble to whoever held it. He was drenched in sweat, fervently promising, "Please quell your anger, Immortal. The incident was witnessed by all present. Xuan Yuan Zheng used underhanded methods, violating the rules of the Immortal Disciple Tournament gravely. I will ensure this is dealt with severely!" Not far away, Xuan Yuan Kai’s expression darkened further upon hearing these words. Ying Xiao had spoken, meaning the Immortal Alliance would surely hold him accountable. This event rendered the Xuan Yuan clan utterly disgraced. Chaos reigned on and below the platform, the remaining few standing in silence. Yan Zhao, in a corner with a fox in her arms, was alone. She considered whether to approach the platform, but at the fox's shake of the head, she stopped, deciding not to proceed. Left Xun stood with a stern indifference, being one of the last not yet involved in the competition, along with the hooded man from her previous round. With the disturbance interrupting the tournament’s proceedings, it was uncertain whether it would affect her plans. Remaining quiet, she resolved to watch and see how things unfolded. Luo Qi, meanwhile, had not anticipated such developments. He adjusted his hat, eyes glinting beneath the brim, thinking to himself: An opportunity has arisen. Among the foursome, only Ye Le’an seemed at ease, as if none of this surprised him. Such foolishness from Xuan Yuan Zheng was unprecedented in his experience. But no matter, the goal was achieved. With each holding their own thoughts, Ying Xiao wiped the sweat from his brow, rapidly contemplating how to handle the situation. Only one match remained; should it proceed? Among the floating islands around, only the three—Si Kong Xuan, the Medicine Master, and Yun Dao Zi—remained seated, steadfast as mountains. The Medicine Master actually had no inclination to join the chaos on the observatory; Wu Yingying had already been eliminated, and this dispute was unrelated to the Medicine Sect. Any movement on his part might arouse unnecessary suspicion. Si Kong Xuan sighed, placing his chin in his hand, shaking his head, "Such chaos." What should have been a splendid display of the Immortal Disciple Tournament had devolved into this, clearly highlighting the Xuan Yuan clan's failure to manage its own kin. On the furthest stone platform, Yun Dao Zi seemed to sense something, suddenly opening his eyes. His right eye was cloudy, seemingly afflicted by some ailment, shadowed with a dim haze. Then, he shifted his gaze toward the observatory.